Georgia Tech’s cornerbacks in 2020 should be one of the better position groups after a quality performance in 2019.
Starters:
Zamari Walton: The redshirt sophomore out of Melbourne, Florida is coming off a really nice redshirt freshman season where he appeared in all 12 games for the Yellow Jackets. In those 12 games, Walton recorded 29 tackles.
Tre Swilling: Potentially the Jackets top NFL overall draft prospect heading into this season, Swilling has developed into an All-ACC caliber corner for the Jackets. Over the course of the season, Swilling notched 23 tackles and one interception but also had an impressive 11 passes defender. The Jackets top corner this season it will be intriguing to watch if Swilling could take even another step forward in 2020.
Charlie Thomas (Nickleback): The last few seasons, Thomas has been quite the playmaker for Georgia Tech in defense. In 2020, Thomas will make the move to nickel back which is a spot where the junior out of Thomasville, GA could flourish.
Rotation:
Kenan Johnson: The Minneola, Florida native redshirted his true freshman season but should be able to break into the rotation this fall for the Jackets. Johnson was a three-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class.
Myles Sims: The Atlanta native and former Michigan Wolverine transferred to The Flats in May of 2019 and ended up appearing in 10 games for the Jackets last season. While his first two years in the college game probably haven’t gone to plan, Sims still has the talent and ability to develop into a top notch corner for the Yellow Jackets. At the least, Geoff Collins’s secondary will have itself a consistent and rather reliable corner with Sims.
Kaleb Oliver: Oliver a talented and versatile player played 11 games for the Yellow Jackets last season, recording 39 tackles, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. The redshirt junior really seemed to come into his own throughout last season and could be a player whose in for a big 2020 even if it’s in a rotational role.
Overall:
Overall, the Yellow Jackets secondary in 2020 has the chance to be a really good one. Last year, the secondary started off hot but was picked apart by some of the better quarterbacks they faced later in the season. While a lack of a true offseason hurts the uni, having a someone as strong as Geoff Collins is when it comes to coaching a secondary, this secondary will sooner or later be the strength of the Jackets defense. Perhaps 2020 is when that will begin, perhaps not. But either, the secondary in 2020 should be pretty good all things considered.